The Secrets of Primrose Square – Gaiety Theatre – Review

DATES: 9th Sep. – 13th Sep.

The Secrets of Primrose Square is three interwoven stories based on a simple quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. ‘A woman is like a tea bag. You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.’

Presented by Pat Moylan Productions in Association with the Gaiety Theatre.

The play focuses on the lives of three women. We meet Susan (Clelia Murphy), a middle-aged woman dealing with the loss of her daughter. She is taking out her anger and frustration on a young man, and it is starting to take over her life. Her daughter Melissa (Leia Murphy) is just trying to get on with things as she watches her mother slowly falling apart. The final character is Jayne (Marion O’Dwyer), who is Susan and Melissa’s next-door neighbour. She lives alone in a big house after the death of her husband. Her son Jason is coming to dinner, along with her daughter-in-law. Jayne has some news for the young couple that might come as quite a surprise!

The book ‘The Secrets of Primrose Square’ was written by Claudia Carroll and published in 2018. Claudia has written 22 best-selling books. As well as being a successful writer, Claudia is a well-known actress and has been a regular on the RTÉ One soap opera Fair City.

The play has three cast members and takes the form of three interwoven monologues. The actors are on stage throughout, with the lighting used to change the emphasis from one actor to another. There is a simple set, with some garden chairs and fences, along with a kitchen table. It’s a set that is designed to tour, and it’s a production that could easily travel around the country.

If you’re looking for a break from the edgy theatre of the Dublin Fringe Festival, this is a more sedate affair. While the stories of Susan and Melissa are quite dark in nature, the story of Jayne, for the most part, has a touch of levity and humour to it. All three characters are going through challenging times, but there is little doubt they’ll come out the other side OK. There are a few good gags, and the characters are nicely written. It’s a play with women at three stages of life, and shows the challenges that each of them faces. The cast is the main highlight of the piece, with a warm portrayal of various characters in this suburban world.

Susan – Clelia Murphy (Fair City, Conversations After Sex, Light A Penny Candle),
Jayne – Marion O’Dwyer (The Quare Fellow, Agnes Browne, The Dry, Dancing at Lughnasa)
Melissa – Leia Murphy  (Video Nasty, Big Story).